Rear sight for a handgun



June 7, 1960 L. HAJEK 2,939,217

REAR SIGHT FOR A HANDGUN Filed April 14, 1958 32 27 24 22 a4 a5 sof Arron/v ys United States Patent REAR SIGHT FOR A HANDGUN Ladimir Hajek, 3814 E. 116th St., Cleveland, Ohio Filed Apr. 14, 1958, Ser. No. 728,345

6 Claims. (Cl. 33-47) The present invention relates -to gun sights especially adapted for use in connection with shotguns as distinguished, as a group, from guns which have ried barrels.

Most smooth bore handguns have been equipped with a bead at the muzzle of the barrel, but have not been equipped with a rear sight, for the reason that as far as hunting game birds, or small game was concerned, the user of the weapon needed only to sight along the barrel. However, in some jurisdictions the use of ried weapons has been outlawed in connection with hunting large game such as deer and only smooth bore handguns are permitted to be used. Since it is extremely diicult to approach large game such -as deer, it is necessary to equip a smooth bored handgun, such as a shotgun, with a more accurate sighting apparatus.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a rear sight on a smooth bored handgun such as a shotgun for use in conjunction with the usual bead sight near the muzzle of the shotgun.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible rear sight on a shotgun which rear sight can be folded and retracted into a recess near the breech of the gun when the sight s not being used.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a rear gun sight which is capable of -being completely retracted within a recess in a gun housing and preferably ush therewith when the gun sight is not being used, but is available for use when desired by merely pulling the -gun sight erect into a position substantially normal to the axis of the gun barrel.

Another object of the present invention, more specilically, is to provide -a pivotally connected, collapsible rear gun sight or sight disk on a shotgun which is normally retracted within a recess and disposed ush near the breech housing of the shotgun, but can be ipped into an erect position by the gun handler who desires to use the same for sighting the weapon at a distant target when a more accurate sighting is considered desirable.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a rear gun sight having a collapsible sight disk connected to a handgun in such a manner that should the same ever be bumped during the carrying of the handgun, the sight disk would merely be folded and/ or retracted into a substantially inoperative position and consequently would not be damaged by a sudden or accidental blow. This feature is clearly advantageous to hunters when operating in a field where underbrush and/or other obstructions present the danger of the rear sight being damaged due to bumping or impact thereon.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a pivotally connected, collapsible rear gun sight, substantially as set forth inthe preceding object, held in place with a cap screw or the like having a head of suiciently small diameter as to be receivable within a sight disk peep aperture when the sight disk -is in a retracted position.

Further and additional objects and advantages not Patented June 7, 1960 e ICC 2 hereinbefore apparent will become apparent hereinafter during the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention which is to follow and which is embodied and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a handgun embodying the present invention and more particularly discloses the rear sight in an erect operative position for use in connection with aiming the handgun;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the breech of the handgun with the barrel in operative position and shows the rear gunsight in a fully retracted position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged -fragmentary sectional view of the rear gun sight along section line 3--3 in Figure 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but with the rear gun sight in elevated position ready for use in sighting the weapon;

Fig. 5 is va detailed plan view of a sight disk;

Fig. 6 is an end view of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detailed plan view of two integrally connected disks which form a base plate and a spring plate; and

Fig. 8 is an end view of Fig. 7.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction and arrangements of parts shown in the drawing and hereinafter described in detail, but is capable of being otherwise embodied and of being practiced or carn'ed out in various ways. It is to be `further understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and there is no intention to herein limit the invention beyond the requirements of the prior art.

Referring to Figure 1, a handgun 10 having a gun barrel 11 with a smooth bore, and more particularly a shotgun, is provided with a sighting bead 12 on top of the gun barrel 11 adjacent a muzzle 13 thereof and a collapsible rear gun sight 14 foldably and retractably connected to the shotgun 10 atop a breech mechanism housing 16, just immediately behind the gun barrel v11 and in front of a gun stock 18.

Since the construction of the shotgun 10 :forms no part of the present invention and since the parts of the shotgun are well known to those skilled in the art, Ifurther description of the shotgun except of those parts which relate to .the gun sight 14 shall not be further described herein.

It is further understood that the present invention is preferably used in connection with Shotguns or other smooth bored handguns. However, the gun sight can also be used on handguns having ritled barrels.

The rear gun sight 14 comprises a retractable sighting disk 20 -foldably connected at a lower portion 21 thereof to a base plate structure 22 comprised of two integrally connected disks 23 and 24 referred to hereinafter as a base plate and a spring plate, respectively, the base plate structure 22 being suitably formed for receiving a slotted head cap screw 25 therethrough and securing the gun sight 14 within a recess 27 in the top of the shotgun breech mechanism housing 16.

The pair of integrally connected disks 23 and 24 are generally circular in configuration with the disk 24 being flat. However, the disks 23 and 24 are correspondingly provided with central holes 28 for receiving the threaded portion of the cap screw 25 therethrough, the size of the holes 28 being only slightly greater than the diameter of the threaded portion of the cap screw 25.

'Ihe disks 23 and 24 are preferably spot welded together near the periphery thereof at a point indicated generally by reference numeral 29. Diametrically opposite the spot weld 29, the base disk 24 is provided with a small aperture 30 for a purpose to be described. Aperture 30 is preferably of a diameter substantially less than the diameter of holes 28. Although both disks 23 and 24 are generally of a circular conguration, one peripheral portion 31 of base plate structure 22 is at or straight substantially along a chordal line which is substantially normal or perpendicular to a diameter interconnecting the spot weld portion 29 and aperture 30.

The recess 27 in the top of the breech housing 16 is of substantially the same configuration as the base plate structure 22 comprised of disks 23 and 24, but is suiciently large to accommodate the same therein. A rear portion of recess 27 is formed with a substantially vertical wall 32 which is substantially parallel to the juxtaposed periphery 41 of the base plate structure 22. In addition, the upper edge of wall 32 terminates slightly below the upper surface of breech housing 16 and is connected therewith by means of an inclined, crescent-shaped wall portion 33 for permitting the insertion of a finger or linger nail under a peripheral edge of the disk 20, as will be more clearly described hereinafter.

The center of recess 27 is provided with a tapped hole 34 for accommodating the threaded end of cap screw 25 and thereby securing plate structure 22 flush with a at bottom 35 of recess 27.

The spring plate 23, which forms a part of the base plate structure 22 is provided wtih a pair of spaced or bifurcated, upwardly and downwardly extending, curved spring arms 37. The bifurcated spring arms 37 have oppositely facing sides 38 which are substantially parallel to a diameter passing through spot weld 29 and aperture 30 and are perpendicular to an edge portion 40 connecting the two sides 38. The outer periphery of spring arms 37 are formed by arcuate portions 41 for describing an arc having a radius substantially the same dimension as the radius of the base plate structure 22.

As best seen in Figure 3, each of the spring arms 37 is of substantially U-shaped contour with the inner end being integrally connected with the at body portion 42 of disk 23 and with the outer ends extending downwardly and toward the rear of the gun sight recess 27, but terminating a short distance above the base plate disk 24.

Sight disk 20 is provided with a central peep aperture or hole 44 which serves a purpose well known to those skilled in the art. Also, the sight disk 20 is provided with an inverted T-shaped portion 21 comprising a radially outwardly and obliquely extending deflection neck portion 45 with chordally and laterally outwardly extending arms 46 which are disposed perpendicularly to the neck portion 45 and to a diameter of the sight disk 20. A small nib 48 extending below the arms 46 of disk 20 at a point spaced equally from the ends of arms 46 is adapted to be received in aperture 30 when the disk 20 is in a vertical position, as in Figure 4, for retaining the disk 20 in a vertical position.

As also shown in Figure 4, the arms 37 and spring plate disk 23 are disposed over the arms 46 of disk 20 so that upon raising the disk 20 to the vertical position, spring arms 37 are biased outwardly from the base plate disk 24 until the nib 48 is seated within aperture 30.

The sighting disk 20 can be disconnected from the base plate structure 22 by merely removing the same from beneath the spring arms 37 and out of the recess 27.

A rear edge 50 of disk 20 is slightly beveled and is of a crescent-shaped configuration, as shown in Figure 5, so that when disk 20 is in a retracted position, as shown in Fig. 3, a nger or finger nail can be slipped beneath the beveled edge 50 for moving the disk 20 to an elevated position.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a cap screw 25 with a head 51 of suiciently small diameter so as to be received in aperture 28 in sight disk 20 when the latter is in a retracted position. Also, the depth of the recess 27 is preferably suciently great enough to completely accommodate the three superimposed disks 20, 23, and 24 when the sight disk 20 is in a retracted position so that the same is ush with the contour or outer surface of the gun housing and thereby provides a smooth gun housing contour.

Another important feature of the present invention resides in the peep sight being foldable or retractable towards the rear of the handgun, so that should the same ever be bumped while the weapon is being carried, the peep sight will merely be retracted into a substantially inoperative position and not be damaged due to a sudden or accidental blow. This feature is particularly convenient when operating in a field where underbrushor other obstructions are present.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein, it will be understood that the invention is susceptible to various changes and modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A rear sight for a handgun comprising, a base plate disk, ,a/spirgmplterdisk, said spring plate disk being spot welded to said base plate disk substantially adjacent the peripheries thereof, said base plate disk and said spring plate disk being centrally apertured, a screw having a slotted head and a threaded portion, said threaded portion of said screw passing through said apertured spring plate disk and said base plate disk for securing the same to said handgun, a hting disknhavingaupeepahole centrally formed therelizm' downwardly depending and radially extending inverted T-shaped portion having a radially extending necked portion and a pair of rigid arms disposed perpendicularly to said radially extending necked portion and connected therewith at the outer end thereof, said spring plate disk being provided with a iiat body portion and a pair of spring arms of substantially U-shaped contour with the inner ends thereof being integrally connected with said at body portion and with the outer ends of the spring arms curving upwardly and then downwardly over said rigid arms of said sighting disk towards one edge of said base plate disk but terminating a short distance therefrom forapivotally securing sa/idsightingdisk to said springplate dislcadfsaid'base plate/diskfan aperture formed in said base plate disk beneath said inverted T-shaped sighting disk portion and between said spring arms, and a nib portion integrally connected to said inverted T-shaped sighting disk portion and forming a radial extension of said radially outwardly extending necked portion of said, sighting disk for being received in said base plate aperture and retained in assembly with said sighting disk in an erect position when being used, and said slotted head of said screw being suiciently small to be received in said peep hole for permitting said sighting disk to lie at upon said spring plate when said/p ivotallyf-connectedesightingdisk is in itractedpos'r'tn.

2. In a handgun, base means including a substantially planar supporting surface, a spring plate including a substantially planar body portion secured to the base means with the body portion in parallel overlying engagement with said surface, said spring plate including a pair of spaced resilient arms displaced from the plane of the body portion, and a sight plate including ya pair of spaced projections extending between said arms and said supporting surface above the level of said surface in biased engagement with said arms, said arms and projections providing a pivot connection permitting pivotal movement of said sight plate relative to said body portion between a sighting position wherein the sight plate is spaced from said body portion in substantially transverse relation therewith, and a retracted position wherein the sight plate engages said body portion in parallel overlying relation thereto with the body portion between said sight plate `and said surface, the space between said arms being unobstructed to permit movement of the sight plate toward said body portion when the sight plate is retracted.

3. A handgun as dened in claim 2 in combination with retaining means including cooperating portions integral respectively with said sight plane and said base means engageable when the sight plate is in the sighting position to positively retain the sight plate in the sighting position.

4. A handgun as defined in claim 2 wherein the sight plate includes a beveled edge substantially opposite said pivot connection engageable to permit movement of the sight plate from a retracted position to a sighting position.

5. A rear sight for a handgun comprising, a base plate disk, a spring plate disk secured to said base plate disk, said base plate disk and said spring plate disk being apertured, a screw passing through said apertures for securing the base plate disk and said spring plate disk to the handgun, a sighting disk having a peep hole and a radially extending inverted T-shaped portion, said spring plate disk being provided with a at body portion, and a pair of spring arms extending from the body portion over the cross bar of the T-shaped portion in spaced relation with the base plate disk for pivotally securing the sighting disk to the spring plate disk and the base plate disk, said base plate disk having an aperture beneath the T-shaped portion between said spring arms, and a nib portion connected to the T-shaped portion to be received in the base plate aperture when the sighting disk is in erect operative position, the head of said screw extending through 6. A rear sight for a handgun comprising a base platev having a generally planar supporting surface, a spring plate secured to the base plate, a sighting plate having an extending inverted, T-shaped portion, said spring plate being provided with a flat body portion and a pair of spaced spring arms extending from the body portion over the cross bar of the T-shaped portion such that the cross bar is located intermediate the spring arms and the supporting surface, said supporting surface having an aperture beneath the T-shaped portion, and a projection, extending from the T-shaped portion to be received in the base plate aperture when the sighting plate is in erect operative position, said cross bar being spaced from said base plate when the sighting plate is in erect operative position, said sighting plate engaging the body portion of the spring plate in overlying relation thereto when the sighting plate is in a retracted, inoperative position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 564,514 Fuller July 21, 1896 1,047,427 Marble Dec. 17, 1912 1,089,009 Porter Mar. 3, 1914 1,257,713 Johnson Feb. 26, 1918 2,585,933 Harvey Feb. 19, 1952 

